Writer In Residence
  • Inside the Writer’s Head with Emma Carlson Berne

Inside the Writer’s Head: March 26

Posted on March 26, 2018

Depending on what kind of person you are, Beginning A Novel can be either intensely exciting or extremely anxiety-provoking. I tend to steer more on the anxiety side of things, so when I’ve begun stories in the past, I’ve found the following thoughts helpful:

  • First of all, don’t be afraid that your ideas aren’t original. In fact, they are not. All of the good ideas were taken long ago – like since the beginning of storytelling. Great stories aren’t about mind-blowing rethinking of literature. They’re about good storytelling. Think of that friend who can make a one-act play out of filling up at the gas station. On other hand, I once read a book by a Channel swimmer whose name escapes me—she had a great story to tell and yet, this book was incredibly boring. Who can blame her—she’s an athlete not a writer.
  • Then, set a few parameters. I don’t know about you, but I always do better with a few rules up front. It helps me focus my thoughts so I not swimming in a sea of too many choices. So first thing, decide for whom you want to write: age group, genre, and if you are so inclined, for women or for men or girls o boys. Once you decide that, you’ll have a better idea of your scope: how many words, how many chapters– especially if you’re writing for kids, where there are more rules about this sort of thing. You can decide what topic would be appropriate. You won’t be writing a slasher story for six year-olds.
  • Write what you know. This is old advice for a reason. I don’t mean you have write about system analytics—I don’t even know what those are—but I mean you should write what you feel very at home both reading and writing. What do you like to read? I love realistic fiction – all my favorite books are plotless. And I tend to write more introspective books that focus on the relationships between people. Books are plot-heavy are harder for me to write, because I don’t find plot personally as interesting. Think about what you love, where you live, where you work, where your family from, what experiences you have had that have touched you deeply. These are all solid bases for stories and you should never think that your experiences are not worthy of fiction. They are.

Fiction is a constant game of imagination. The key question is What if? What would that person reading on the bench do if I threw something at them? What would happen to me? What if I, a suburban young mom, threw something at this person and was arrested? What would a holding cell be like to a person like me? Why did I throw the loaf of bread at the person? Had I just discovered something about her? What?

Getting the idea in fiction is one of the greatest pleasures in writing. It’s like a giant game of curiosity on steroids and you have to be ready to play.

Tags: creative process, getting started, how to's, writing .
« Inside the Writer’s Head Post, Season 3: Episode 2
Inside the Writer’s Head: April 5 »

Leave a comment

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pages

  • About Emma Carlson Berne
  • About the Writer-in-Residence

Archives

  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015

Categories

  • Emma Carlson Berne
  • Horror
  • Imagination
  • Jeffrey Hillard
  • Kids
  • Kurt Dinan
  • Podcast
  • Poetry
  • Reading
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing
  • Young Adult fiction

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© Writer-In-Residence